IN CAMPS AND LODGES
We use open 4x4 Land Rovers almost exclusively in our camps. As we generally operate on private concessions, most of our camps have open vehicles. For those who have travelled in East Africa before, please don't come expecting a closed vehicle. The local conditions in Southern Africa are much more suited to open vehicles, and the all-round visibility is, therefore, so much better. The only game drive exception is Etosha where, by law, we have to have a canvas roof on our vehicles.
Here we use 4x4 Nissans. All our game viewing camp vehicles have a similar layout. We normally have three rows of seats on a vehicle, plus seats for the driver and front passenger. Each of the three rows usually has three seats, so in theory we can seat 11 people including the driver. However, we restrict the number on a vehicle to 6 or 7 guests plus your guide. The only exception is in our 8-bedded camps where we may have 8 on a vehicle.
All our tailor-made safaris are sold on a "shared vehicle" basis. However, many of our guests have a special interest, be it photography or birding, or perhaps they just want to be on their own so that they can dictate the pace without worrying about the interests of another. Private vehicles and guides can be arranged, but at an extra cost. We can only guarantee a private vehicle service if you have booked this in advance, as some camps have vehicle restrictions by law and we cannot guarantee that the camps will have a spare vehicle and a spare guide if you try to book on site. So, if you require this facility, please book the private vehicle service with your travel agent when you are booking your safari.
PRIVATE VEHICLES
If you would like a private vehicle and guide, we can
arrange this for you at an additional cost and subject to availability. If you elect not to take up this option you will be traveling with other guests on activities. We would appreciate acceptable behavior on the vehicle that will ensure that all our guests have enjoyable game drives.
DRIVING CONDITIONS
If visiting remote areas or national parks and reserves, the roads could be rough and bumpy and occasionally we will travel "off road", where it is possible that injuries may occur - if for example a hidden pothole is struck. Neither the Wilderness Safaris group of companies nor their staff members, associates nor agents can be held liable for any accidents or any damages!
CROSS COUNTRY VEHICLES ON CROSS COUNTRY SAFARIS
The mode of transport on our vehicle safaris in the different countries depends primarily on local conditions. Vehicles are normally customized Land Rovers and very occasionally we may use a minibus (non-camping safaris only). A library of wildlife reference books and a first aid kit are standard on each camping safari vehicle. On participation camping trips we tow a trailer to carry all the camping equipment. Open 4x4 vehicles are sometimes used on game drives once we arrive at our tented camps on some four and five paw safaris.
